Downtown ballpark just talk at this point

Spectators take in fireworks at Wolff Stadium. EXPRESS-NEWS FILE PHOTO

A ballpark for downtown, a venue both the San Antonio Missions and UTSA Roadrunners could call home, remains a vision of Judge Nelson Wolff, and that’s about it.

“We’re still in the talking stage right now,” Wolff said late last week.

Wolff said he was having lunch with Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni on Thursday to discuss the hypothetical baseball stadium.

Official word from UTSA is that the university has not been involved in talks. And the San Antonio Missions said the same thing, and then some.

“The missions are very supportive of a downtown ball park, (but as far as) anything financial, we’re not involved in it, nor do we plan on being involved,” Missions spokesperson Jim White said.

Even so, White said, the Missions would keep an open mind about the possibility of playing in a stadium, if it were ever built. The Missions’ current stadium, on the city’s West Side, was built in 1994 during Wolff’s term as mayor, and was named after Wolff the next year.

Wolff explained it was the success of UTSA’s football games at the Alamodome, which opened his eyes to the possibility of doing something similar, but with baseball.

“UTSA comes downtown and has been tremendously successful with their football program,” Wolff said. “That shows local people will come down for sporting events.”

The judge mentioned land on the south end of the Alamodome, and some near Fox Tech High School as possible locations. He said 30 acres are required for the stadium with parking.

According to KSAT 12, Wolff said the potential downtown stadium would cost $25 million.